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The ups and downs of life as a DJ

By: iConquer

Date: 2 April 2019

Make it to the top as a professional DJ and you're set for life. In the meantime, it's a job like any other. It's not your boring nine-to-five desk job, but there are still plenty of ups and downs to consider.

Truth is, it can be difficult, tiring and expensive to make it as a pro DJ. On the plus side, the pros outweigh the cons by a huge margin. So if you can hack it, you're in for the ride of your life.

The pros of life as a DJ

As for the good side of life as a DJ, things to look forward to include:

1. Sharing your passion

You love music, the crowd loves music and everyone you surround yourself with loves music. So you're in a perfect position to share your passion with others and turn your passion into a successful business. Not many people can say their job allows them to do this.

2. Getting paid to party

We referred to DJing as a 'job', but it's hardly work in the conventional sense. Every performance is a party and could turn out to be the experience of a lifetime.

3. Being your own boss

Unless you go ahead and sign with a major label, you'll enjoy all the perks and privileges that accompany self-employment. Being your own boss is something millions dream of but comparatively few go ahead and achieve.

4. Travelling and meeting new people

Self-explanatory, given how the pro DJ spends most of their work life on the road. If you're all about new experiences and meeting new people, you'll be in your element.

5. The chance to hit the big-time

There are no guarantees in this line of work, but there's also nothing to stop you becoming the next major international success story. If you've got the talent and the hunger, you're already halfway there.

The cons of life as a DJ

If you're serious about making it as a DJ, you'll also need to consider the less glamorous aspects of the job, which include:

1. Hard work and lack of sleep

After all, DJs aren't exactly known for enjoying early nights and taking it easy. Add to that the pressures of running your business - from managing finances and tax to marketing and taking bookings - and the stress of balancing your workload can soon start to mount up.

2. Dealing with posers and egos

As you'll already know, not everyone is in it for the love of good music. Some just want to massage their egos and look down on everyone else.

3. It gets expensive

Until you start pulling in decent pay, you could find yourself reliant on a DJ finance package to pay for the hardware you need to support your performances. Add to that the other costs associated with running your business and your cash flow may not be as healthy as you'd like.

4. It's seriously competitive

Last but not least, you'll never be the only talented newcomer looking to make it big. Instead, there will be hundreds of others trying to steal your glory and beat you to the top.

There's probably a whole bunch of points we've missed on both sides of the argument, but you get the idea. The pro DJ world has its ups and downs, but the payoff more than justifies the investment.